The Final Note
by Distant Voice
Summary: A short series that consists 2 separate oneshots, featuring a boy, a girl, and a piano... [Implied Argentine x Risa]
1. Piano Lessons

**Piano Lessons**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own D.N.Angel or any of its characters. All rights belong to its original creator Sugisaki-sama.

* * *

Risa Harada rested her chin on her knees and stared at the picturesque scenery outside the window distractedly. The seeming tranquility of the blue sky combined with cotton candy-like clouds could not pacify her agitation. She knew the view was not real but a mere artificial production. Therefore, she did not enjoy a single part of it. She did not expect herself to, being in the situation she was: imprisoned. 

How long has she been trapped? Risa had no clue. She had tried to escape out of her captivity. The outcomes had not been successful. She could only wait for the miraculous moment when some winged knight come and save his damsel in distress, scooping her into his strong arms and flying off into the beautiful picture of the setting sun…

_Dark…_The young maiden sighed dreamily.

The usual, idle daydream lasted for a while before a frustration took over. She was kept away from seeing her handsome savior under the watchful eyes of her kidnapper, a boy—no, a _creature_ of magic, as Risa assumed. The _creature_ claimed his name to be Argentine, or was it _Argentina_? Risa could careless. All she knew was that he was a total _nut case_ (in her words), and his peculiar speeches disturbed her.

The brown-haired girl did not want to think anything more about her capturer. Everything about him brought her unpleasant memories. Yawning tiredly, a realization came to her:

She was B.O.R.E.D.

Her boredom was not surprising. It was likely a result caused by the confinement. She would use to occupy herself by making sure her capturer would not get _too close_ to her, but now she was thankfully left alone for the moment; and _he_ was nowhere to be seen.

Funny thing, a person can get sleepy so easily when he is bored. Risa felt her eyelids became a little heavy. Gradually, her head was starting to fall downward before a sudden jerk of the body woke her. She was not pleased with her action. Disgusted, she did not want to be caught in a _defenseless_ state by her capturer.

_Who knows what that pervert will do again after what happened…_

Risa decided to fend off the sleepiness as much as possible. She would find _something_ to do to keep away the boredom. Sliding her legs off the bed, she walked about the room and observed its details. _The room was too simple_, Risa concluded. Besides the bed and a nightstand, there was not much that she could get her hands to fiddle on. However, another inanimate object caught her attention as a thought crept to her mind.

Risa tiptoed cautiously toward the grand piano that sat peacefully in the middle of the room, occasionally turning her head to look out in every direction. She inspected the instrument carefully. The polished surface seemed to emit a soft glow as light reflected off it. The black and white keys seemed so smooth that they tempted whoever looked at them to touch.

The amazed girl exhaled at the magnificent view. She could no longer resist the temptation regardless of the fact that the instrument was _his_ property, which was probably off-limits to her. Giving one last sly look over her shoulder, she invited herself to sit before the piano.

A "do" vibrated out clearly as soon as Risa placed a finger on the key. She then pressed harder, and the sound lengthened. She giggled to herself, finding fun in what she was doing.

Risa searched through her mind of something she could play. She thought of an easy song she learned when she was young, but she could scarcely make out the whole piece. If anything, Risa was no expert pianist. The only reason she first started to take her try in piano playing was because she wanted to prove she could do better than her twin sister, Riku. Also, as the immature child she was, she believed that girls who can play the piano attract more guys. Naturally, the story ended with Risa giving up.

The keys were being pushed down uncertainly. The awkward hesitance to play the next note formed a broken piece. The song morphed into an incomplete discordance. Risa sighed in defeat, ashamed at her performance. She could swear that she felt the keyboard was laughing her pathetic accomplishment. Bringing down her stiff fingers, Risa absorbed herself in shame.

"That is not… how you play."

A whisper breathed against her neck as Risa almost jumped out of her skin. She whipped her head around to discover her capturer undoubtedly standing behind her. As if being caught in a crime, Risa attempted to prove her innocence orally. Her mouth moved, but no word came out. Instead, she could only blush in embarrassment.

Argentine regarded his captive impassively with his violet-colored eyes. His blank face indicated no emotions whatsoever that Risa could pick up as a sign of disapproval, anger, or anything along the line. In her nervousness, Risa chose to run, to stay away from her capturer's presence. She stumbled away from the piano but lost her balance when one of her feet tripped over a leg of the bench. Squinting her eyes tightly, Risa prepared herself to meet the hard floor, which never came into contact with her because an arm had enveloped her by the shoulders, preventing her from falling.

Risa stiffened uncomfortably in Argentine's hold. Her cheeks were practically burning with redness as she tried to wiggle free out of his arms, but her capturer would not permit her to do so by grabbing her shoulders firmly. Seeing as how she was _captured_ again, Risa stammered incoherently, "That… I was… just—I mean!"

"Sit," Argentine simply commanded.

The captive could only nod in submission and did as she was told. There were no other options she could choose now. She was trapped after all in a place where she had no authority.

The golden-haired boy set himself beside Risa's frigid body on the piano bench. The helpless girl gulped, waiting for the doom that would befall upon her.

"You should not let it control you."

"Eh?" The girl looked up in surprise when none of the tortures that she expected came.

"You must create it."

Not understanding one bit of what the speaker was saying, Risa spoke with caution, "W-what are you talking about?"

As if ignoring the his listener's question, Argentine continued, "Humans try to imitate _it_ and call their creation _music_, but they cannot give such creation life. They only think of it as a tool, using it perhaps to communicate, to gain admiration, or to influence. It must not be manipulated. Then it will restrain you."

"Huh?"

"Only _I _know the true art of _it_… because we _are_ one."

Risa was completely lost in the verbal labyrinth.

"I will show you…"

Argentine positioned his fingers on the keyboard. The music began shortly. The keys that were merely devices to create sound became _alive_. They danced fervently under his graceful fingers as the music gradually broke off into a fast flow; soon, it intensified, lashing out its rage violently. So furious was the piece that Risa felt everything in the room was shaking with anger, and she swallowed hard as her body trembled along with the vibration. Stealing a glance from the pianist, the girl was shocked to see his deadpan face. _How could he look so calm playing something like this!_

The music would not cease. Involuntarily, Risa felt her heart throbbing with the fury. She clutched her chest, and her breath became shallow. Suddenly, comprehension hit her.

_It's because…! _She covered her ears desperately. Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. She could not take the sound any longer because she knew she would be consumed by the rage in the end. Finally, she screamed out, "STOP IT!"

The pianist stopped abruptly. He turned his expressionless façade to the trembling girl and studied her troubled features. His gloved hands left the keyboard and traveled up to her face, wiping the forming tears, and he said, "So you have felt it. Then you must know… It _is_ my emotions… not a tool humans use to _manifest_ their emotions."

A short silence followed after as Risa gaped at the pianist in awe.

Reaching for the girl's hands, Argentine stated, "And now you try…"

"I c-can't," replied Risa timidly, startled at the boy's actions.

"I can hear it… your confusion."

Placing his hands atop of Risa's, Argentine pressed on her fingers with his and began a new composition. The notes came out faintly, sounding full of uncertainty and bewilderment. Risa stared as he gently moved her hands above the keys. Unexplained warmth permeated through her body. She felt the magic. Nothing seemed to exist anymore; the bed, the nightstand, and the entire room disappeared. All there was left was a floating realm where she, he, and their emotions lived.

The music continued to flow; mixing in it was another kind of perplexity that did not belong to Risa. Despite the same impassive look Argentine had, she knew that her "piano instructor" was now experiencing a new emotion. She was starting to see the golden-haired boy in a different light; she was starting to understand him…

Savoring the spellbinding moment, Risa smiled softly, yet sadly, to herself. _Maybe I could use some piano lessons for now…_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So what do you think? Heh, I have to admit. I went crazy on the ellipses. What can I say? It's one of my favorite marks to use. :P Anyhow, this is only the first part of the story. I will post the second part soon, but it will NOT be a continuation to this one; and it'll be rather short.

Argentine/Risa pairing is a little hard to write, considering not much has revealed about the boy in the manga. My poor attempt to write one didn't turn out as good as I hoped. The last time I checked, there was only ONE AR fic in the fandom. I was happy and depressed at the same time: happy that there was an AR fic to read and depressed that there was only ONE! Talk about mixed feelings… -.-

To any of you who like Argentine x Risa—which I doubt there are many since not a lot of people have seen volume 11, please leave a review. I'd be much appreciated to know there are other AR fans besides me. If not, critiques and comments are still welcome. :)


	2. The Final Note

**The Final Note**

_One last song for you…_

* * *

He was playing for her.

He was putting his life into the flowing music; it _was_ his life.

And she listened, captivated by the elegant sound.

All he ever wanted to do was to please her because he needed her, the Sacred Maiden who belonged to someone he envied.

So he offered his gifts to her, things a young maiden would love: a beautifully embroidered dress and a vase of fragrant flowers to say the least, but she rejected all those offerings. In his opinions, she defied human laws. By all means, a girl was supposed to squeal happily at the sight of what he has given her, but she was terrified. He did not understand her. Nothing pleased her.

His creator once said that humans like to be awoken by music. So he tried, and it worked; the only time she would behave quietly was when he plays the piano. From that moment and on, he would place all his efforts into his songs. He expressed them so differently than normal humans did. The results intoxicated her senses. She relished each time when she saw him settling before the instrument.

He was trying to speak to her using the music. He could not find any other ways because she would appear frightened every time he spoke to her in words. He told her so many things through his songs, but she could not understand. She was different from him. She was but a human, and he was but a piece of artwork created out of men's hands. Their depths of knowledge were nothing alike.

She listened nonetheless, tasting the music through the little understanding she had. Lying peacefully on her side, she fingered a strand of hair absent-mindedly. She mused over the pianist. He was a maze full of mysteries and surprises. She did not know who he was; she did not know why he had taken her away from her home; she did not know what he planned to do with her; and the things he said were like riddles to her.

So, she rejected him naturally.

Before long, there began a little sense of betrayal in her. She had felt something from within: an inclination toward his songs. Little by little, there was appreciation toward him. She breathed hard. She was betraying all reasons by feeling sympathetic toward the one who has imprisoned her, but there was magic in his songs. Transfixed, she found herself giving in to the powerful force.

Little did _she_ know, the magic was his life…

However, all his pains went unnoticed by her. A flash of acute sting in the pianist's rigid fingers caused him to gnash. Jaded, he took glimpses at her small, fragile frame from the corners of his eyes. She seemed so oblivious. _Humans are such ignorant creatures._ He thought dryly.

Little did _she_ know, this was his last song for her…

Almost instantly, the song progressed into a melancholy bellow, professing its sadness and regrets. All his memories came flooding the entire room as the pianist breathed his last. Drowning in the barrier of such sorrow, she was astonished by the sudden change of mood. Soon the notes were diminishing as rapidly as the emotional surge had come. They were growing fainter by the second…

Finally, the music came to a slow halt. He knew it was time, time for the grand finale. His fingers had become practically immovable. The searing pain pierced his joints sharply. There was an undoubtedly taunting look in his eyes as he gazed down at his shaky hands. He sneered mockingly and bitterly to himself. _The art itself was about to expire…_

"The final note…" he declared to his audience in a ghostly whisper. The eerie glow faded from his once breathtaking eyes. His body went limp, barely hanging on to his original sitting position. Alas it gave out, and his head fell forward automatically toward the keyboard.

_Bang…!_

The sound echoed ever so loudly in the room, ending the sad song. For a long time, it would not die out as if in a desire to have everlasting life, perhaps the same desire its creator yearned for.

Feebly, she straightened herself to sit up on the bed and faced the pianist. She saw his dulled eyes were looking at her directly as the side of his head continued to press down the keys awkwardly. A low rumble could still be heard from the piano.

_His last gift for her…_

Risa could only stare dumbly at his lifeless form in all her pity. A distorted smile crept up to her twisted face. Somehow, she found an odd feeling of satisfaction as she lingered over that "final note"…

* * *

Author's Notes (once again…):

At last, the second _and_ the last one-shot is posted. What a mindless drabble that was… slightly morbid at the end. I hoped you all liked it despite its unsatisfying length. I wasn't talented enough to make certain parts more descriptive. Anyhow, I thank all of you who have read the first one-shot and the reviews.

Who knows, maybe I'll start another Argentine x Risa multi-chaptered fic in the future. It'll be quite a challenge. I honestly don't know how to make a plausible plot for themto gettogether and NOT make them fall madly in love with each other in one second. That kind of fics always makes me gag. Okay, maybe an AU might work, but I'd really like to stay in the same environment as the original manga. I know: I'm picky.

Gah! I'm seriously addicted to AR! It makes me want to cry when the relationship will most likely to be unrequited in the end. I wish there will be more AR fics going around the fandom, especially when everyone has seen the English version of vol. 11 which comes out in September. Oh ya, I've also done some AR artworks. Check 'em out at my dA account if you wish. The link should be posted on my newly revised bio page.

Now that I blabbered all that much… feedbacks are welcome as always. Also, please lemme know if any of you have or planning on writing an AR-related fic. I'd be more than happy to pay a visit to the story.


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